Travels. Thoughts. And more waste of cyberspace.

Monthly Archives: May 2012

Most of the people I know who’ve been to Paris say that it’s overrated. I guess because you’d expect nothing but glamour from the “City of Lights”. But for me, even if you take account all the “ugly” parts, it’s still beautiful overall. The numerous museums, the architecture, its rich history – it will always be breath-taking for me.

From Amsterdam, we took the train to Paris via Thalys. My sister was able to book us first class cabins for a great deal.

This is the only decent train photo I have. So sorry. Hehe

I think it’s a good thing we took the train since it just takes around 3 hours. Instead of taking the plane which takes less but if you add check-in time, boarding time, etc would take you longer. Plus, I heard that Paris’s airport is not that nice.

Train stops at Gare du Nord. This is the central train station in Paris (which connects the city to different countries).

Gare du Nord is actually still far from Eiffel and other tourist spots. It is not advisable to book hotels here because of the distance.

Betz and I

This is what you’ll see once you step outside the station

After getting off the train station, we looked for the booth which sells train/metro tickets that will get you around Paris. This is advisable since your main mode of transportation around the city would be the trains. We got the 3-day pass.

Once we got to the hotel, we just dropped off our bags and went to our first stop – EIFFEL TOWER!!! 😀

Don”t mind my face. Haha.

Me and my sister. This was taken on the other side (the one with the grass area). That’s the reason for the “chicken wires” on our background. Lol.

The next coming days, we walked (a lot) around the city for more museums and touristy stuff.

With my lion hair. Haha. This is how windy (and cold for a tropical girl like me) it was up there.

Moulin Rouge. Thank you European weather, I finally got the chance to wear a leather jacket.

Ginawang tourist spot si Manong crepe-maker on the street.

Louvre

Outside (at the back) of Notre Dame Cathedral

Arc de Triomphe

Three days are not enough to fully enjoy the city. I swear, every night during my stay, I feel like my legs would come off as they are too tired. Haha. I want to post more pictures but this post would seem like a photodump of my face (with the same expression) with different backgrounds. Haha.

Just some tips when you’re in the city.

1. Buy long-stay train tickets. It would save you the hassle of going to the counter each time you’re riding.

2. Take good care of your belongings. The trains are located underground (so they’re like subways) and it’s kinda scary in some stops. Also, after you’ve placed your ticket and go into the rotating thing (or door), there are some people who’d push you to accomodate them (without them having to pay for a ticket).

3. Get souvenirs from stores. You’d think they’re more expensive but they’re not. Plus, you can even get freebies in souvenir shops if you buy a lot.

4. Eat!!! Lots of choices in Paris. Try your best not to eat in fast food as they taste the same in any country (in my opinion). What’s not to love bout French food? There’s escargot, filet mignon, macarons, crepes, etc. (I did try the french fries while I was in France, they still taste like potato. Haha)

5. Walk around to explore more. And when you do, wear comfortable shoes! (I think this goes out to any of your travels). When I said we did a lot of walking, we really did. Here’s a proof of what my shoes looked like in the middle of the day.

Mine – my sister’s – Betz’s. Hahahaha my shoes are supposed to be sparkly black. But as you can see, it transformed to gray.

Next time I visit (if I get to be lucky enough to get a chance again), I plan it to be more chill. Maybe spend a whole day in Louvre, read a book in the park, and have enough energy to go out and socialize at night.

To regularly update my blog, I decide to have a particular theme to post about weekly.

I love covers – I think they breathe new life to a song. And to be more specific, my favorite covers are those done by indie artists. (Acoustic covers, which are rampant in the airwaves here in the Philippines make my ears bleed. Seriously, you don’t have to make all pop songs acoustic.) Anyway, here are my top three recommended covers:

Hugo – 99 Problems

If you’re watching the voice and have seen the finale for this season, you might be familiar with the hillbilly version of Jay-Z’s hit done by Tony Lucca. I think Tony should have done another song (just like what he did to Spears’ “Baby One More Time”) instead of this. His version sounds a lot like Hugo, only not better (I really can’t say worse, in all fairness to him)

Owl Eyes – Pumped Up Kicks

The original version by Foster The People is already good. But I think Owl Eyes puts more quirkiness in the song. 😀

Starfucker – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Thanks to Steph for introducing me to Starfucker. I find it cute that they covered this song, an 80’s classic sang by a woman.

There are a couple more out there – F+TM’s “Halo”, Tokyo Police Club’s “Since You’ve Been Gone”, etc. If you want to mix up your playlist and don’t want to go full indie, I think covers would be a great way to add something new to famous hits.